Sprays are among the most intellectually challenging and practically important topics in fluid mechanics. This paper reviews needs, milestones, challenges, and a broad array of techniques for spray measurement. In addition, tabular summaries provide cross-referenced entry points to the vast literature by organizing over 300 citations according to key spray phenomena, physical parameters and measurement techniques for each of the principal spray regions (nozzle internal flow, near-field spray-formation region, far-field developed spray, and spray-wall interaction). The article closes with perspectives on some current issues in spray research, including the cost and complexity of apparatus for spray physics and spray engineering, the need for simultaneous diagnostic measurements under application-relevant conditions, and the effective comparison of spray measurements and numerical simulations.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-0233/26/1/012002/pdf

Spray measurement technology: a review

An efficient and accurate two-stage fourth-order gas-kinetic scheme for the Euler and NavierStokes equations

The stability of a hypersonic boundary layer on a flared cone was analysed for the same flow conditions as in earlier experiments (Zhang et al., Acta Mech. Sinica, vol. 29, 2013, pp. 48–53; Zhu et al., AIAA J., vol. 54, 2016, pp. 3039–3049). Three instabilities in the flared region, i.e. the first mode, the second mode and the Gortler mode, were identified using linear stability theory (LST). The nonlinear-parabolized stability equations (NPSE) were used in an extensive parametric study of the interactions between the second mode and the single low-frequency mode (the Gortler mode or the first mode). The analysis shows that waves with frequencies below 30 kHz are heavily amplified. These low-frequency disturbances evolve linearly at first and then abruptly transition to parametric resonance. The parametric resonance, which is well described by Floquet theory, can be either a combination resonance (for non-zero frequencies) or a fundamental resonance (for steady waves) of the secondary instability. Moreover, the resonance depends only on the saturated state of the second mode and is insensitive to the initial low-frequency mode profiles and the streamwise curvature, so this resonance is probably observable in boundary layers over straight cones. Analysis of the kinetic energy transfer further shows that the rapid growth of the low-frequency mode is due to the action of the Reynolds stresses. The same mechanism also describes the interactions between a second-mode wave and a pair of low-frequency waves. The only difference is that the fundamental and combination resonances can coexist. Qualitative agreement with the experimental results is achieved.

Interactions between second mode and low-frequency waves in a hypersonic boundary layer

The evolution of second-mode instabilities in hypersonic boundary layers and its effects on aerodynamic heating are investigated. Experiments are conducted in a Mach 6 wind tunnel using fast-response pressure sensors, fluorescent temperature-sensitive paint, and particle image velocimetry. Calculations based on parabolic stability equations and direct numerical simulations are also performed. It is found that second-mode waves, accompanied by high-frequency alternating fluid compression and expansion, produce intense aerodynamic heating in a small region that rapidly heats the fluid passing through it. As the second-mode waves decay downstream, the dilatation-induced aerodynamic heating decreases while its shear-induced counterpart keeps growing. The latter brings about a second growth of the surface temperature when transition is completed.

Aerodynamic heating in transitional hypersonic boundary layers: Role of second-mode instability

Flow structures in transitional and turbulent boundary layers

Transition and turbulence production in a hypersonic boundary layer is investigated in the Mach 6 wind tunnel at Peking University, using Rayleigh-scattering visualization, fast-response pressure measurements, and particle image velocimetry. Detailed analysis of the experimental observations is provided. It is found that, although the second mode is primarily an acoustic wave, it causes the formation of high-frequency vortical waves. Moreover, the second mode interacts strongly with low-frequency waves, which leads to immediate transition to turbulence.

Transition in Hypersonic Boundary Layers: Role of Dilatational Waves

Transition and turbulence production in a hypersonic boundary layer is investigated in a Mach 6 quiet wind tunnel using Rayleigh-scattering visualization, fast-response pressure measurements, and particle image velocimetry. It is found that the second instability acoustic mode is the key modulator of the transition process. The second mode experiences a rapid growth and a very fast annihilation due to the effect of bulk viscosity. The second mode interacts strongly with the first vorticity mode to directly promote a fast growth of the latter and leads to immediate transition to turbulence.

Transition and turbulence production in a hypersonic boundary layer is investigated in a Mach 6 wind tunnel using Rayleigh-scattering visualization, fast-response pressure measurements, and particle image velocimetry. It is found that the second-mode instability is a key modulator of the transition process. Although the second-mode is primarily an acoustic wave, it causes the formation of high-frequency vortical waves, which triggers a fast transition to turbulence.

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Transition in hypersonic boundary layers

Accurate particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements very near the wall are still a great challenge. The problem is compounded by the very large in-plane displacement on PIV images commonly encountered in measurements in hypersonic boundary layers. An improved image-preprocessing method is presented in this paper which expands the traditional window deformation iterative multigrid scheme to PIV images with very large displacement. Before the interrogation, stationary artificial particles of uniform size are added homogeneously in the wall region. The mean squares of the intensities of signals in the flow and in the wall region are postulated to be equal when half the initial interrogation window overlaps the wall region. The initial estimation near the wall is then smoothed by data from both sides of the shear layer to reduce the large random uncertainties. Interrogations in the following iterative steps then converge to the correct results to provide accurate predictions for particle tracking velocimetries. Significant improvement is seen in Monte Carlo simulations and experimental tests. The algorithm successfully extracted the small flow structures of the second-mode wave in the hypersonic boundary layer from PIV images with low signal-noise-ratios when the traditional method was not successful.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-0233/24/12/125302/pdf

Image-preprocessing method for near-wall particle image velocimetry (PIV) image interrogation with very large in-plane displacement

We experimentally investigate the dynamics of surface waves excited by oscillations from a cylindrical sidewall. Particle-imaging-velocimetry measurements with fluorescent particles were used to determine the flow patterns near the sidewall of the cylindrical fluid container and to identify the locations of the evolving air–water interfaces. The high-frequency wall oscillations created four jets that originate at the cylindrical sidewall. Four vortex streets shed from the jets propagate from the sidewall to the centre of the container and subsequently excite a low-frequency gravity wave. The interaction between this gravitational surface wave and the high-frequency capillary waves was found to be responsible for creating droplet splash at the water surface. This phenomenon was first described as ‘Long-Xi’ or ‘dragon wash’ in ancient China. The physical processes for generating the droplet ejection, including the circular capillary waves, azimuthal waves, streaming jets and low-frequency gravity waves, are described in this paper.

/pdf/experimental-studies-of-surface-waves-inside-a-cylindrical-2m40yesige.pdf

Huijing Yuan

Papers

Transition in Hypersonic Boundary Layers: Role of Dilatational Waves

Transition in Hypersonic Boundary Layers: Role of Dilatational Waves

Transition in hypersonic boundary layers

Image-preprocessing method for near-wall particle image velocimetry (PIV) image interrogation with very large in-plane displacement

Experimental studies of surface waves inside a cylindrical container